


Take Cover

by tocasia



Series: Our Shining Past [9]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: AU, Explosions, Gen, Sephiroth and Zack friendship, Silly, colors of materia, game mechanics, space dragons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 13:03:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11441457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tocasia/pseuds/tocasia
Summary: A few adventures combining the five colors of materia: Red, Green, Yellow, Pink, Blue.(31. colors) for Seph&Zack Friendship 100 Themes





	Take Cover

This part of Midgar was still under construction, although the project had been stalled for years. Exposure to the elements had taken its toll on the building materials, the plastic sheets covering delicate progress long since shredded into uselessness. Rusted pieces from higher up had fallen and damaged the reinforced concrete. Runoff from the streets above mouldered the wooden scaffolding platforms. It was supposed to be another pillar to support another plate, but the way things were now, the whole thing would have to be demolished and begun anew, which was something President Shinra had no interest in financing.

SOLDIER used it as a training ground. The sunlight filtering down made the shadows dance.

The recruits had only been in the program for a few weeks. They knew how to fire several types of guns and grenades and were fit enough to climb up the haphazard walls of debris to the perilous ledges of various heights. Today was their first day working with Independent materia. They'd gotten over any delusions they'd had about pink being a funny color.

Zack was demonstrating the use of Cover materia. Like everything else, it was Sephiroth's idea, and one did not question his methods publicly, as strange as they sometimes were. The General was watching, possibly hoping for a chance to cast Revive-All, it was hard to tell. Mastered Cover had a 100% success rate so Zack didn't know why he thought he'd need it.

It wasn't too bad in the beginning. On the ground, Gaven threw the first grenade at Richter, who'd boastfully volunteered to take the hit as an example. Then, Zack equipped the pink materia and signaled Richter to return fire. Instantly, Cover moved Zack across the intervening distance, placing him in front of Gaven. Zack didn't even flinch from the blast. Or the next, or the next, always in the right place at the right time as more of the recruits tossed grenades at eachother. The sound of explosions dominated the unfinished Sector.

Sephiroth said something Zack didn't hear since he was currently being blown sideways, but he figured it out. They were playing dodgeball with grenades. He suddenly found himself on a ledge fifty feet up, intercepting a grenade that would have hit Carter. And just as quickly, he was back on a lower platform, protecting Ashcroft. In the air, he covered Finch twice, once from the blast and again from the fall. Zipping back and forth, teleporting up and down, Zack wanted to close his eyes. Thank Gaea he didn't get motion sick.

"Enough!"

Finally! That would be the last volley. Zack kissed the ground, more rattled than injured. When he raised his head, a grenade was sailing right at Sephiroth. Time seemed to slow; he could see the rotation of the projectile and its unfortunate trajectory. Zack was ready to take the impact, but it never came. Sephiroth caught the damn thing, snatched it out of the air, closed his fist around it. He let it explode in his hand. The wind generated by the shockwave blew his hair and coat back majestically. Showoff. Yeah, he was smiling.

He beckoned Zack towards him with a still-smoldering glove. "Fair. Give me the materia and take a break. You're dismissed."

Happy to comply, Zack did so and was about to leave when he saw Sephiroth scanning the area. The General's gaze fell on the recruit who'd thrown that grenade. The poor kid was doing an admirable job of not shaking. Sephiroth pointed at him.

"Your turn."

* * *

Tuesdays were cursed, Zack decided.

He was walking to the office adjacent to the barracks to pick up some forms and chat with the drill sergeant when everything went white. He grabbed the nearest recruit.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"There's a dragon, sir."

The Planet came into view against a starfield, which then rotated like a camera searching for something. Out of a lens flare, a gigantic dragon appeared from behind the Planet, circled once, and unfurled its six wings. It charged up its laser breath by capturing the sun's rays, and unleashed its fury with great accuracy on the designated spot. The wide, Lifestream-colored beam pierced the atmosphere, a tiny sparkle in the sky heralding the final effect of the summon. With screaming energy, the laser hit, triggering a huge and very impressive explosion.

Yeah, that was Tera Flare. Zack had seen it so many times that it was boring. He wondered what Sephiroth's reason for casting it was.

Everything went white. The Planet came into view against a starfield, which then rotated like a camera searching for something. Out of a lens flare, a gigantic dragon appeared from behind the Planet, circled once, and unfurled its six wings. It charged up its laser breath by capturing the sun's rays, and unleashed its fury with great accuracy on the designated spot. The wide, Lifestream-colored beam pierced the atmosphere, a tiny sparkle in the sky heralding the final effect of the summon. With screaming energy, the laser hit, triggering a huge and very impressive explosion.

He wondered what Sephiroth's reason could _possibly_ be for W-Summoning it. He'd find out. Zack broke into a jog across what was left of the training field, nimbly keeping his balance on the unstable earth. He passed several cadets on his way. Some were cowering, some were excited, but all were watching with awe.

Everything went white. The Planet came into view against a starfield, which then rotated like a camera searching for something. Out of a lens flare, a gigantic dragon appeared from behind the Planet, circled once, and unfurled its six wings. It charged up its laser breath by capturing the sun's rays, and unleashed its fury with great accuracy on the designated spot. The wide, Lifestream-colored beam pierced the atmosphere, a tiny sparkle in the sky heralding the final effect of the summon. With screaming energy, the laser hit, triggering a huge and very impressive explosion.

That was close! He'd be smelling ozone all day. Was Sephiroth just casting it over and over? His discipline was known to be harsh, but this.... Zack ran faster.

Sephiroth was sitting down in the grass, reading a book, absolutely unconcerned with the carnage that rained down around him. He wasn't casting. Zack could see the colors of materia on his bangle: yellow, and red junctioned to blue. That meant five more repetitions of this. Zack groaned.

Everything went white. You know what? Nevermind. Zack ignored it.

"Zack. You're blocking my light."

"Sorry sir. Got a question for you, though. _Why?_ "

"Special combat training. Strengthens the troops' resolve under fire." He turned a page.

"Uh huh, sure. That's definitely a scenario they'll encounter out there. Yeah. A whole afternoon of W-Summoned, Quadra-Magic'd Bahamut ZERO."

The General nodded, refusing to acknowledge the sarcasm Zack knew he had picked up on. "It could happen."

"Please tell me you are not planning to do that to them."

Zack knew Sephiroth was pretending to consider it to make Zack worry a little more. Damn him and his games.

"Not currently."

"It was a mistake, wasn't it?"

No glare? So he wasn't admitting it.

"They'll be brave in situations they may have run from before. Compared to a space dragon, anything _they_ (Zack heard the emphasis just fine) might face will be less threatening. And I got some reading done."

* * *

A day later....

They were the only ones on the training field. The squad they'd been supervising was in medical, hopefully recovering.

Zack said, "That materia lesson was a disaster."

Sephiroth waved it off. "The recruit did get the five colors right."

"True. So what's next?"

Though he'd seemed in good spirits a moment ago, Sephiroth frowned. "Wait, no, weren't there more than five? Two others...."

Uh oh. He had that far away look in his eyes. It was not in and of itself a harbinger of doom, but Zack secretly believed that it might be his purpose on the Planet to distract Seph when that happened.

"One of them was a light green but they called it something else...."

Distraction, distraction, distraction! Think, Zack!

In addition to his sparkling wit, he had: Restore, Mystify, Fire, HP to MP, Ice, Steal, and the beginnings of a plan. Seph carried a Time materia at all... times, for a reason that was very important to him.

"And the other...."

His commanding officer was too deep in thought to notice the theft. Now for Fire and Ice together, aim above his head, and get ready to run.

"Are those technically colors?"

Splash! The combined energy of the spells resulted in an explosion of water.

Sephiroth didn't make a sound, but his posture, the set of his shoulders, indicated complete surprise. He blinked. Totally soaked, his bangs were plastered to his forehead, rivulets rolled off his leather. Shaking some errant droplets from his glove, he reached for his armlet.

Zack held up the Time materia. "Looking for this, Seph?" Yep, that got his attention, all right. Surprise turned to rage in an instant. Sephiroth _lunged_ at him. Good thing he was ready to...

"Ooof!"

...get tackled by an extremely pissed off but definitely distracted General.

"Give it back!"

Damn, but Seph was fast even without the spell he wanted. Zack was slammed facedown into the dirt, which was rapidly becoming mud, because Sephiroth's dripping wet hair fell around him like a curtain. The water was icy cold. Oops. He was pinned to the ground in a hold he couldn't break unless he was willing to break both arms, too. Fortunately, he'd already accomplished his mission, so he released his deathgrip on the materia with a "Yes, sir."

Immediately freed, Zack wiped the mud out of his eyes and sat up. He'd missed the cast. Sephiroth was standing serenely nearby, running his hands through those silver strands, teasing out the tangles faster than should be possible. The tempo of whatever tune he was humming was way out of whack.

In Wutai, Zack had learned that Stop could preserve things from decay. Slow could delay poison damage long enough to save lives. Haste made certain status conditions wear off sooner. Seph used it to dry his hair.

"What the hell, Fair?"

"Combat training."

"That's our new in-joke for mistake, isn't it."

"Yessir."

 


End file.
